Bright and early at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, September 4, the Peddie community celebrated its 161st Convocation. Peddie students gathered at the chapel in family-style dress on the first day of school to witness the traditional annual ceremony. 

Following the academic procession (where Peddie faculty enters the chapel in order of their tenure at Peddie), student body co-presidents Matilda Kardhashi ’25 and Ethan Yang ’25 delivered the welcome remarks. Both Kardhashi and Yang reflected on the Peddie community through the lens of their own personal experiences, starting the school year with a positive outlook. 

Head of School Peter Quinn followed with his own speech, providing insight into the values of Peddie students; he spoke about how pursuing “opportunities with more than your own success in mind is the most Peddie of all activities.” Mr. Quinn’s speech is a testament to the service-driven community Peddie strives to be, with its emphasis on supporting peers and giving back to the community being central core values of the school. 

Then, the Peddie community turned its attention to celebrating the accomplishments of students from the previous academic year through the awarding of prizes. Prizes ranged from academic excellence to broader school impact. The students who won each prize are the following: 

Academic Department Awards:

Science: Sarah Tong ’25 (Academic Excellence in Science)

Precalculus: Jayden Li ’26 (Wintersteen Math Award)

Calculus: Justin Wang ’25 (Wintersteen Math Award)

History: Anjali Sudarshan ’25 (Austin Kelly Award awarded to the student who has submitted the research paper that best combines complexity of historical analysis, extensive original research and scholarly use of primary source materials) 

History: Matthew Luo ’25 (Christensen Cup for outstanding work in U.S. History)

History: Natalie Muenzen ’26 and Luca Romanelli ’26 (Doherty Prize for outstanding sophomore research paper)

Chinese: Seungwoo (Jullien) Raillot ’25 

French: Rishi Seth ’25 

Latin: Sarah Tong ’25 

Spanish: Matthew Luo ’25

English:  Anh Tran ’27 (Miller Reading Prize for demonstrating the greatest progress in English during the 2023-24 academic year)

English: Liam Ruiz ’26 (Miller Reading Prize for demonstrating the greatest progress in English during the 2023-24 academic year)

English: Jasmine Bogenrief ’25 (Miller Reading Prize for demonstrating the greatest progress in English during the 2023-24 academic year)

English: Imani Jones ’25 (English department award for completing the most outstanding work in English during junior year)

All School Prizes:

Swetland Honor Cup given to the member of the freshman class who has made the greatest contribution to the school: Samantha Forte ’27

Potter Cup to those students who demonstrate strength of character, leadership, citizenship and scholarship: Matilda Kardhashi ’25

Convocation is an annual tradition which not only not only celebrates the start of the school year but also celebrates the Peddie community and the students that make the community so special. 

Congrats to all the prize winners and Ala Viva!